This is in response to the letter written by Marsha Kincheloe in the Nov. 12 edition of The Times Argus. She asks about tour buses on Main Street, suggesting they are allowed, or at least might be. They are not.

I have a 40-foot motor home, and wanted to drive it from Washington Street to the Barre-Montpelier Road, and not having seen a definition of “truck” with respect to the truck route, I called the police department to see if my motor home would be allowed on Main Street. The dispatcher could not assist and referred me to the city manager’s office. Calling there, I was finally connected with Police Chief Tim Bombardier, who informed me that my motor home was not allowed. Ergo, tour buses are also were not allowed.

In my conversation with the chief, I mentioned the time or two I had seen traffic stopped by an 18-wheeler, blocking both lanes while waiting to be able to turn right on to Elm Street, off Summer Street. Why? Because the driver of a car had failed to heed the stop bar in the left turn lane on Elm Street and had stopped beyond it, preventing any vehicle making a wide turn from proceeding.

I suspect this situation occurs fairly frequently at all four major intersections, Main and Elm, Elm and Summer, Elm and Maple Avenue, Maple Avenue and Main. How much easier for a truck (or a motor home) to simply drive the length of Main Street.

If this traffic pattern continues beyond its 30-day trial, there will be times when the stop bars will not be visible, and probably not obeyed. Those would be snowy days, rainy nights when markings are difficult to see, and even when the paint has worn such that it is practically invisible.

I hope this pattern is allowed to die its natural death at the end of the 30-day trial.